


It Feels Like Hope

by eternal_song



Category: Dororo - Osamu Tezuka
Genre: Canon - Manga, Gen, I always wanted a reunion, Post-Canon Fix-It, Psychic Bond, Reunions, gross misrepresentations of Japanese history, so i wrote it myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9230816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternal_song/pseuds/eternal_song
Summary: It's been four years since they split up, and he's finally ready to keep his old promise to her. If only that were as straightforward as killing demons.Takes place after the end of the manga, and therefore contains massive spoilers. not canon-compliant with the movie, the anime, or Blood Will Tell.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The Ryuichi mentioned in this fic is the kid who, while being forced to work on Daigo's fort, organizes a coup and convinces Dororo to help out. Since Tezuka never gave him a name, I went looking for him in the Star System on the Tezuka in English site. I'm 90% sure it's him: http://tezukainenglish.com/wp/?page_id=1259
> 
> I have Dororo refer to Hyakki as "Aniki" rather than "Bro" because... well. I've watched the film so many times that I have trouble hearing her call him anything but "Aniki", and I think "bro" sounds kinda stupid.

It had been years since he’d been to this village. It probably would have been fair to say that he’d been avoiding this entire section of the Japanese countryside, but -- well. He told himself that he’d had good reasons to do so. From the hill he stood atop, he could see the entire valley and, at the far edge, the crumbling remains of a massive fort. It had never been completed, and Daigo Kagemitsu had never attempted the construction of another, deprived of the power and influence granted to him by the forty-eight demons.

Hyakkimaru crossed his arms and let out a soft “hm” as he wondered how best to approach the situation ahead. Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure if Dororo had stayed in the village as he had asked her to. Given her track record, he wouldn’t be incredibly surprised if she had taken off immediately after he had. All he had to go on was hope and the fact that, for four years, he’d heard nothing concerning the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest thief.” He wasn’t sure where he would even begin to look for her if she had left. A well-suppressed worry caused his brow to furrow.

What if he never found her? What if she didn’t want to be found? She might not want to ever see him again, after the way he had essentially abandoned her. It had felt like the right decision at the time, and he didn’t regret getting his closest friend away from the danger that had always followed him, but he was sure he had hurt her by doing so. She’d already been left behind so many times in her life. In his weaker moments, he wished that he had let her accompany him. It was lonely, travelling and fighting demons without her, but he couldn’t justify putting her in that kind of danger after the fight with the nueh. The last of the demons had been far craftier and more difficult to find and defeat than the previous, and he’d had enough close calls with his life that he’d been grateful that she hadn’t been there to see him injured -- or worse, get herself injured.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he sighed and decided to just get on with it. He wouldn’t find answers up on this hill. If he could defeat forty-eight demons and his own birth father, then he could certainly find Dororo and ask her for forgiveness.

“Hang on, Dororo. I’ll be there soon.”

***

There was a shift in the air, like the changing of seasons, but Dororo couldn’t quite place what felt different. There was a tickle in the back of her mind, an old itch that hadn’t been scratched in years. It had started about a week ago when she had been working in the fields. She felt it as she was bent over, pulling weeds from between the rice shoots. The feeling swept over her, familiar but unplaceable. She straightened and peered over the fields, trying to spot something, and for the briefest of moments she half expected to see Hyakkimaru standing there with that little smirk on his face. What she hadn’t expected was the stab of loneliness in her chest when he wasn’t there.

This morning the feeling was stronger, and it made her restless. She felt the old urge, well suppressed by now, to find someone rich and make off with their valuables in the night. It had taken her a while after coming to live in the village to finally beat down that compulsion and accept that if she didn’t stay here, she would likely never see Hyakkimaru again. After four years, she should be used to doing so.

Ryuichi looked at her over their small breakfast.

“Are you all right?” He asked. “You’ve been a bit out of it lately.”

Dororo looked over at him as she chewed her rice. Ryuichi had always been kind to her, letting her live with him in his small, rebuilt home and helping her move on from the pain of being left behind again. He’d lost his parents to the fire Daigo’s army had set while Daigo enslaved the village to build his fort, but Ryuichi was still a hard working and compassionate person. Dororo respected that about him. She wished that it were that easy for her to move on from her own anger and sadness about all she’d lost.

“Dororo?”

She jerked, realizing she’d been staring into space and hadn’t answered his question. She swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just having this weird feeling lately. It feels like… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s stupid.” She looked down and sighed.

“Try me.”

Dororo chewed on her lip, thinking about how to word it.

“You know that feeling you get when you smell the air and you know that spring is finally coming?”

Ryuichi nodded.

“Well, it kinda feels like that. Like…” a sudden realization hit her.  _ It feels like when Aniki would kill another demon and I could feel his excitement at regaining another body part.  _

She looked back up at Ryuichi, a small smile growing on her face.

“It feels like hope.”

***

Today they were working in the taro fields, but she found herself looking up far more than she normally would. She would glance around, distracted, and then catch herself and force herself back to the task at hand. The fifth time she found herself staring at the crumbled old fort, she internally snarled at herself for doing so. Tossing her handful of weeds into the basket beside her, she stomped over to where Ryuichi was sitting and unceremoniously plopped down into the dirt beside him.

“Taking a break?” He asked.

Dororo scowled at him, but he just smiled beatifically and continued massaging his calf. Like Dororo’s father, Ryuichi had never fully healed from having his legs shot full of arrows, and he somehow managed to limp with both legs on the frequent occasions that they cramped up. Dororo punched him lightly in the shoulder and heaved a dramatic sigh.

“I can’t concentrate,” she admitted grudgingly. “I keep feeling like something is trying to sneak up on me.”

“Do you think it’s another monster, like the ones that that your friend went around killing?”

Dororo shook her head.

“Nah, I was never very good at sensing demons -- that was Aniki’s job. Besides, it’s not a bad feeling, exactly. It’s just got me feeling jumpy.”

Ryuichi hummed noncommittally and looked out over the field. The late summer sun beat down on them as the cicadas droned on relentlessly.

“Is he the reason that it never worked out between us?” He finally asked after a drawn out silence.

“Huh?”

“Hyakkimaru. ‘Aniki.’ Are you waiting for him? Is that why you never wanted to pursue anything?”

“What?” Dororo asked, a little surprised. “You think I’d save my virtue for a jerk like him?” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Ryuichi merely met her gaze and raised an eyebrow. She frowned, but finally relented.

“Yeah, I’m waiting for him to come back. I want to believe he’ll keep his promise. If I didn’t think he would, I probably would have left right after he did. For nearly two years, he was the closest thing I had to family -- we really were like brothers. But…” Dororo sighed. “That wasn’t the first time he tried to leave me behind. It wasn’t even the second. I get that it’s dangerous, hunting down each and every one of the forty-eight most powerful demons in the world, and he wanted me to have the chance to be more than just a common thief.”

She brought her knees up and rested her chin on them before she found the right words to continue.

“It’s just that… it’s been four years. We’ve been apart longer than we were together. I keep wondering if he ever intended to keep his promise, or if he was just lying when he said we’d meet again. Maybe i’m just too annoying and too much of a burden to him.” Dororo could feel her eyes burning, but she fought to keep her breaths calm and even. She was an old pro at shoving down her old pain and sadness until it was barely even there. Suddenly, Ryuichi’s hand was on her shoulder, pulling her into an awkward one-armed embrace. It was about as much affection as they ever showed each other, but she allowed herself to lean on him all the same.

“Look, I never really met the guy,” Ryuichi said, “But I know you, and I know all of the stories you’ve told me about your adventures together. I know that’s not why he left. If he’s anything like how you described him, then he cares about you. He wants you to be safe. Didn’t he come after you and fight a shark on one leg that time you were kidnapped by bandits?”

Dororo nodded.

“Well, there you go. Killing demons is dangerous business. I haven’t forgotten about the story of you getting kidnapped and knocked out by the very first one you went up against together.”

“How was I supposed to know that she was gonna hide her smelly tail in the same pillow I was hiding in?”

He laughed at her indignant tone.

“Maybe he just didn’t want to have to worry about having to rescue you all the time.”

Dororo laughed and punched him in the shoulder, harder this time.

“Excuse you, I rescued him plenty.” She stood and held out a hand to haul Ryuichi to his feet. “Now come on. These taro aren’t gonna weed themselves.”

***

Hyakkimaru made his way along the riverbank towards the nearest houses of the village. It had been rebuilt, and only a few charred and rotting timbers lay about to suggest what atrocities Daigo had committed here. The setting sun cast long shadows from the crumbling fortress and from the small houses, and illuminated everything with a soft golden glow. Hyakkimaru approached the nearest house. Fragrant wood smoke wafted from within, and he gently rapped his knuckles on the door. After a moment, an old woman opened it and gave him an appraising, wary look.

“Now what could a ronin want with a village this small?” She asked. “There’s no lord in that fort up there. He got kicked out years ago, thank the heavens.”

Hyakkimaru smiled and scratched the back of his head.

“Ah -- yes, I know. I’m actually just trying to find a friend of mine. Young, maybe fifteen or sixteen by now, she came to live here right after Daigo was defeated-”

The woman’s eyes lit up and her expression morphed into one of delight.

“Oh! You must be Hyakkimaru! Dororo has told us all about you!”

Hyakkimaru could have kissed the old woman.

“Dororo is still here?” He asked, a grin breaking out onto his face. “Where can I find her?”

The old woman chuckled at his sudden enthusiasm.

“Oh, yes, she’s still here. She and Ryuichi share a house. She’ll be delighted that you finally came back. I’ll take you to her -- I think she’s still in the taro fields, at least for a little while longer.” And with that, she grabbed Hyakkimaru’s arm and began to drag him, presumably, towards the taro fields. He couldn’t find it in him to protest the grip on his arm.

As she towed him along, the woman kept up a continuous stream of chatter about how the village was faring since Daigo was “kicked out like the dog he was.” A warm feeling of pride welled up in Hyakkimaru’s chest at the knowledge that he had managed to do some good for these people. He was thankful that they had rebuilt so well after everything that his birth father had put them through. He rarely had the chance to see what happened to the people he left behind after killing whichever demon plagued them. Now, as he was dragged through this thriving village built on the burnt out remains of the old one, he felt hope for the others he’d met and left along his quest.

“Obaa-san?” He asked at one point when the woman had to pause for breath. She looked at him and nodded for him to continue. “Did Daigo ever come back and try to finish what he started here?”

“Oh, no,” the woman shook her head with a wry smile, “ the most that ever happened was when a small-time group of bandits tried to move in. Dororo was so offended that they would dare to ‘slander her father’s name by calling themselves bandits’ that she basically beat off their leader single handedly with the back of her sword.”

Hyakkimaru laughed loudly at the image that statement presented.

“That sure sounds like Dororo.”

***

Dororo straightened again and trained her gaze on the village.

“Something wrong?” Ryuichi asked, coming over to where she stood.

“I… thought I heard something…” She murmured. Ryuichi looked over her shoulder and gave out a small snort of a laugh.

“Looks like it’s just Baa-chan giving another wanderer the grand tour.” he clapped her on the shoulder. “I’m going to go start the rice. See you in a bit.”

“Yeah- hey! Don’t leave your basket here, I’m not carrying it!” she scolded him. He laughed, grabbed it, and walked over to where the old woman stood with the traveller.

She bent down and began to gather the last of the weeds she had pulled and placed them in her own basket. She hadn’t been at her most productive today, but she figured that the taro could survive a little longer with weeds growing between them. It still surprised her sometimes how she had come to enjoy and take pride in this type of work. She still got the occasional intense urge to take off with nothing but the clothes on her back and the sword that she kept by her futon, but most days she felt sure that her parents would have been proud of her.

She picked up the basket, straightened, and turned towards home.

“Hello, Dororo.”

She hadn’t heard that voice in years, but she knew it. She knew that voice in her bones, like she knew her own name, her parent’s names,  _ his name.  _ She stiffened, unwilling to look and find that she had only imagined it. She took a deep breath, looked up, and --

There he was.

Standing in front of her, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, wearing that same tattered kimono. She sucked in a breath between her teeth and fought to keep her voice level.

“Aniki?”

He nodded. She could feel her eyes growing hot again, and she finally gave up trying to keep her composure. Instead, she let out a joyful laugh, flung the basket to the ground, and ran at him. He caught her, picked her up by the waist, and spun her around, letting out a laugh of his own. Dororo could swear that she could see tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as well.

“Look at you!” Hyakkimaru cried, setting her down, only to draw her into a tight embrace. “You’re all grown up!”

Dororo returned the embrace and allowed herself a few moments of comfort. Through the elation of finally,  _ finally _ being reunited, the bitter sting of abandonment still niggled at the back of her mind. After a few seconds, she pulled away just enough to take hold of Hyakkimaru’s upper arms and look him in the eye. She had grown taller, true, but so had he, and she still found herself needing to look upwards to meet his gaze. After another moment, she gave him a wicked grin and, pulling him close, swiftly brought her knee up between his legs. She let go and danced back a few steps as he let out a pained grunt and collapsed onto his hands and knees.

“Don’t be so surprised that I grew up, poop-for-brains! You’re the one who took so damn long to get back here!” she shouted, laughing. For the first time in four years she felt her anger ebb away until it almost vanished. He looked up at her and gave her a tight, pained half-smile.

“I guess I deserved that,” he groaned. Dororo just laughed harder and held out her hand for him to take. He grabbed it and slowly got to his feet, grimacing but otherwise standing upright. “I’m sorry that it took me so long. I came straight here after I killed the final demon. I wasn’t sure if you would be here, but it was the only thing I could think to do.”

Dororo blinked, and the puzzle pieces finally slotted together in her mind.

“The final demon… was this about a week ago?” she asked. Hyakkimaru nodded.

“You felt it?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t realize that’s what it was. I didn’t think our old psychic link even worked anymore. But I could feel something shift. I told Ryuichi that it felt like the first sign of spring after a long winter.”

Hyakkimaru smiled at her, soft and gentle. Dororo decided that they were verging into dangerously emotional territory, so she gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder and went to pick up her basket.

“So what was the last one?” she trusted he would know what she meant.

“My left arm. That blade you were waiting for all this time is finally in a proper scabbard.” he smirked. “Would you believe that it was a dragon that had it?”

“What? No way.”

“I promise, I’m not lying. It was big, ugly, and angry. But it’s dead now. It’s finally over.”

Dororo grabbed his hand -- the left one, finally real and warm against hers -- and began leading him towards home, where she could see that Ryuichi had started the fire for dinner. She would have to tell him to cook another portion of rice. Hopefully Hyakkimaru would stay for a couple of days at least before leaving on his next adventure. She bit her lip, wondering if she should ask. It dawned on her that he had only been a boy, younger than she was now, when he started his quest. How did it feel, she wondered, to finally reach the goal he’d worked towards for so many years? The words of the blind biwa player came back to her, and she had to wonder, as he had, what Hyakkimaru would do now. Did he even know?

“So now that your big quest is finished… what happens now? I’m having trouble imagining you settling down in a farming village.” She tried to sound unconcerned, but she could tell that she’d failed at that. Hyakkimaru stopped walking. He didn’t drop her hand, however, so she stopped as well.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t really plan any farther than finding you and asking forgiveness for leaving,” he admitted. “But now that I’m here, I was wondering… how would you like to meet my dad?”

It took Dororo an embarrassingly long moment to figure out who he was talking about.

“Doctor Jukai?” She asked. When Hyakkimaru nodded, she grinned. “Yeah. I’d love to.”

The relief that spread across his face was adorable, and Dororo couldn’t resist giving him one last jab.

“I’m sure he and I can swap all sorts of embarrassing stories about you, Aniki!”

He groaned loudly and she laughed, towing him the rest of the way home.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahaha, yeah, I stole the knee-to-the-balls thing from the film. It's one of my favorite parts of that whole damned movie.
> 
> Since the first time I read it, I was always really disappointed by the way the Dororo manga ended and the fact that Tezuka never got to complete the story the way he wanted before the manga was canceled. So, I decided to write how I wanted it to end, which is hopefully not too cheesy.
> 
> I hope I did these wonderful characters justice. Any feedback and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> And a random question that keeps bothering me: do you think Hyakki had his nipples taken by the demons too?


End file.
